In conventional automotive vehicle construction, wire harnesses are widely used to interconnect and supply power to the various components making up the electrical system of the vehicle. Numerous electrical components are mounted in and on a vehicle instrument panel, and wire harnesses are routed behind or beneath the instrument panel to interconnect the components. The wire harnesses are secured to the instrument panel by various types of clips and straps. The instrument panel is usually built up as a subassembly prior to being inserted into the vehicle passenger compartment and attached to the bulkhead or fire wall separating the passenger compartment from the engine compartment. After the instrument panel has been installed in the passenger compartment, a worker must join connectors at the ends of the wire harnesses with mating connectors located on or adjacent to the fire wall to complete the electrical connection between the instrument panel and the rest of the vehicle.
The number of electrical components present in automotive vehicles has increased rapidly in the past several years, and consequently the amount of wiring required to interconnect and supply power to components has also increased. This increase in the number and complexity of electrical components is particularly significant in the instrument panel area. The amount of wiring required has increased to the point where it is difficult to find enough room to route the wire harnesses in and around the instrument panel. Manually attaching and routing the wire harnesses are time consuming and labor intensive tasks. If the harnesses are not correctly positioned, there is a risk that they may be damaged when the instrument panel is secured in place within the vehicle.
The increasing number of electrical systems in automotive vehicles has also resulted in the increased size and complexity of electrical junction blocks. Junction blocks are commonly used in automotive vehicles to simplify electrical system wiring by eliminating multi-branch wiring and consolidating fuses, relays, and other circuit components in a single location. A junction block typically comprises a housing having a plurality of integrally formed external receptacles for receiving electrical connectors, fuses, relays and other circuit components. One or more bus bars are contained within the housing and supply electrical power to the various components and then to the electrical systems. Each bus bar has a plurality of blade-like terminals which extend into the receptacles in order to make contact with the circuit components inserted therein.
It may be desirable to locate junction blocks for certain electrical systems in the passenger compartment so that the circuit components may be easily inspected and replaced if necessary. With the increasing number of electrical systems, it has become more difficult to find room for junction blocks in convenient locations within the passenger compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,520 discloses a method for wiring a vehicle instrument panel wherein a system of troughs is attached to a structure serving as a wiring board, and wires are restrained within the troughs and extend between at least two terminals or connectors disposed remotely from one another at ends of the troughs. The wiring board is attached to the rear of the instrument panel such that the connectors engage mating connectors located on the various electrical components mounted on the instrument panel. The wires are placed into the troughs and secured therein by an automated wire feeding device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,518 discloses a wiring system for a vehicle instrument panel wherein wires are disposed in troughs formed in the surface of a ventilation duct structure. The ventilation duct structure is attached to the rear of the instrument panel and the wires make connection with electronic subassembly components disposed on the instrument panel.